Over the weekend of October 30th - November 1st, fifty ETAN activists from around the
country gathered in Freedom, New Hampshire for a National Strategy Conference. East
Timorese activist Fernando de Araujo, Indonesian campaigner Yeni Rosa Damayanti, Indonesia
specialist John Roosa and other recent visitors to both countries provided first-hand
perspectives on the rapidly changing situations there. Allan Nairn and ETAN Washington
representative Lynn Fredriksson analyzed U.S. political developments regarding East Timor,
while ETAN staff member John Miller outlined recent developments at the United Nations.
Simon Billenness of Franklin Research and Development and Jeff Ballinger of Press for
Change spoke on economic strategies and targeting corporations. In addition to
representatives of most ETAN chapters, we were joined by activists from Peace Action, the
Asia-Pacific Center for Justice and Peace, Amnesty International, Medical Aid for East
Timor, and other groups.

Each speaker stressed that although Suharto has been driven from power, Indonesia and
East Timor remain under the thumb of the Indonesian military (ABRI). In the face of
increasingly strong movements for democracy in Indonesia and self-determination in East
Timor, ABRI is working to break civilian power. As evidenced by recent killings in both
countries, the army is desperate to maintain control.

In stark contrast to claims by the Indonesian government that East Timor would dissolve
into civil war if ABRI was not present to maintain order, Fernando and Yeni identified
ABRI as the main source of instability in East Timor and Indonesia.

In Indonesia, ABRI continues to use "divide and rule" tactics to maintain
control. Among these are sparking confrontations over ethnicity (including anti-Chinese
racism), religion (Muslim vs. Christian), and ideology (anti-communism). Such violence is
usually portrayed as spontaneous unrest, but the systematic way in which it is carried out
indicates military and para-military gangs are behind much of it.

The vast majority of Indonesian people want an end to dwi fungsi  the "dual
function" (civil and military) of the Indonesian army. But ABRI is strongly opposed
to the creation of a democratic system and backs restrictions on upcoming elections that
will preserve the militarys role in society. Indonesian democracy activists 
many of them students  have been bravely working to oppose ABRIs efforts.

The Indonesian press has opened up somewhat under Habibie, allowing Indonesians a more
accurate picture of East Timor, and East Timorese are countering Indonesian government
propaganda about potential "Balkanization" by stressing reconciliation,
dialogue, and unity. As a result, Indonesian support for a referendum in East Timor is
growing.

Many of the speakers noted a marked increase in open political activity in East Timor
in recent months, including mass demonstrations. However, this increased freedom exists
only in Dili, which is more visible to the international community. In the countryside,
army terrorism continues (see Reports From East Timor, p. 6).

The Asian economic crisis has made the Habibie regime vulnerable to international
pressure. Conference participants discussed how changes in East Timor and Indonesia should
affect chapter priorities and how ETAN should effectively respond with national campaigns.
The discussion was extremely wide-ranging, with groundwork laid for many future projects.

We identified the U.S. Congress, the State Department, the IMF and the United Nations
as key institutional targets for ETAN campaigners. Congress and the State Department
remain our priorities. ETAN chapters and staff will continue to push Congress to end all
U.S. arms sales and military training assistance to Indonesia, and to actively support
self-determination and inclusion of East Timorese representatives in all negotiations.
Pressure can be increased on the State Department through a variety of means, from
lobbying its officials to staging public demonstrations.

Many activists expressed interest in national direct actions pressuring U.S. and
Indonesian targets that would attract media attention to repression in East Timor.
Planning for emergency rapid- response activities and a national day of action is
underway.

If UN negotiations between Indonesia and Portugal result in a form of autonomy for East
Timor, there is a risk that some will view this as a final solution to the "East
Timor problem." Such a possibility can only be countered with an aggressive public
education program that puts voices of East Timorese and their supporters into local and
national U.S. media. One step to make such efforts more effective will be a day-long media
training workshop in Washington, DC on Saturday, June 5th, the weekend before June lobby
days (see back cover).

The Habibie regimes desire to cultivate a moderate image has made it easier for
foreign visitors to travel to East Timor. Its clear the presence of such outsiders
deters ABRI from cracking down on East Timorese activists and the general population. An
effort is already underway to facilitate such solidarity visitors in a more systematic
fashion. Various possibilities along these lines were discussed  contact ETAN if you
would like more information. We are exploring ways for Americans and others to visit East
Timor, both for their own education and to help East Timorese organizations.